Butler Post Game Thread

[NYCVET]

I had no buffering or audio issues, but FS1/FS2 quality looks way better to me. This looked more like cable.

Last 2 minutes almost unwatchable. Don't know if it was xfinity or Peacock but no sound first, then cutting off and on. Thankfully came back with minute to go. So frustrating when I'm so programmed to watch on old school television with no issues. Would be nice to support old guys' preferences since we're the ones who supported UCONN since Tony Hanson days. But I understand it's the Big East...

 

[RuffRuff]

Our top four guards last year were Newton, Spencer, Castle, and Diarra. That's more than just fresh legs, that's four very talented guys.

Our guards this year are Diarra, Ball, Mahaney, and Nowell. That's one talented guy, two underachievers, and the only other PG option who's glued to the bench.

Big difference in what those fresh legs bring to the party. Dan Hurley has 19 games to figure it out. And that's not even including that Stewart and Ross haven't taken huge steps at F to take the load off AK and LM.

I want to trust Dan Hurley that he built this team with a vision of a three-peat, but if we do get to the promised land, so far it's looking like the frontcourt and Hass will have to be run ragged to get there.

Moot but if we did a redo on recruiting this may have been a year where bringing in one less frosh and another portal guard may have been the right move. Seems in hindsight there was an over index on this soph class, the obvious miss on AM in the intended role. Having the additional senior option or starter there would have been good to have as it’s left us really light/inexperienced in the backcourt rotation.

The balance between committing to underclassmen/continuity and portaling is a delicate one. Minaya wrote about this this past week, and how continuity shows to work better. But likely not at the sake of over valuing what you have coming back and leaving gaps in your roster.

 

[RuffRuff]

phrases highlighted in red says it all. Not going to expound, many have said it all. You are just the latest. Can the lightbulb go on physically and mentally? We need it to, and hope that he is able.

I see what you’re saying. At the gym between sets. I need to be better about being respectful to the spectrum of sensitivities on this board.

Dennis made a great point. Some players do need more patience than others. I enjoy good points. Please be patient with my development as well .

 

[superjohn]

We have a gut feeling on Nowell, but he needs to see the court more to confirm it, IMHO.

If you were talking about someone else being a talented guard, please elaborate.

I think Hass and Solo are talented and playing well. Hass assist to turnover ratio is great and he's great finishing near the rim. I wish we got more out of Solo's all around game but he gives us 13 points per game and he's a big shot sniper. Also McNeeley is just as much of a guard as those guys last year were. He brings the ball up the court, he initiates offense in the half court with his decision making and ability to drive and find others or finish himself. He's just big so he can be called a forward or a guard.

We obviously aren't getting enough from Mahaney and Nowell hasn't really gotten a chance yet. We agree that needs to be figured out but we certainly have more than one talented guard.

 

[HooperScooper]

Last 2 minutes almost unwatchable. Don't know if it was xfinity or Peacock but no sound first, then cutting off and on. Thankfully came back with minute to go. So frustrating when I'm so programmed to watch on old school television with no issues. Would be nice to support old guys' preferences since we're the ones who supported UCONN since Tony Hanson days. But I understand it's the Big East...

That's strange. I had zero issues. Must be an Xfinity issue.

 

[RuffRuff]

 

[navery12]

We have a gut feeling on Nowell, but he needs to see the court more to confirm it, IMHO.

If you were talking about someone else being a talented guard, please elaborate.

Solo Ball is averaging 12.5 points a game and shooting 41% from 3 on almost 6 attempts per game. He is very clearly talented and unless your expectation was 1st Team All American I'm not sure how he could be described as underachieving

 

[bendm]

The team is great and talented ok we just need our 9th man to take over the backup pg role I don’t care whether it’s Mahaney or Nowell.

It Appears Mahaney is getting every opportunity to do so. I just hope if at some point Hurley decides its not gonna work that it’s not too late to turn to Nowell. It’s my only concern about this team but it’s a big one.

 

[martyn]

I disagree that we only have one talented guard.

Granted all of them are talented, it's the level of talent. Every one of last year's three other than Diarra are better than every one of this year's three other than Diarra.

 

[ctbro1999]

Definitely. He plays better when he is looking for his own shot and making a play on his own. He is, IMO, one of our best shot makers. The talent and potential is there. Defense has gotten better too. I am a fan of this guy, and he will pay dividends before all is said and done.

I think if he just focuses on giving the team a solid 5-10 minutes a game and give his all during those 5-10 minutes, he can be an important contributor. The pressure of trying to have him be a starter seems to have been unrealistic.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I'll take any conference road win and be happy, but someone needs to explain to Solo that he can't just be a shorter version of Tyler Polley.

And you're just the guy to call it to the coaching staff's attention.

I hope there is some way for Dan Hurley and his staff to take note of the various flaws, mistakes, and opportunities for improvement over the next 18 games before the post-season tournaments in March. It would be a shame if the collective wisdom of this community remained locked inside of this forum.

 

[Palatine]

These team has spurts where it plays tremendous basketball. They started Butler like a house on fire and there was nothing Butler could do about it. They have had stretches like that all year. But instead of holding or expanding the lead, they slip back to the level of their opponents.

The good news is that they have shown a very high ceiling. The better news is that it isn't yet January. Sure there is work to be done. But as long as they are moving in the right direction (and they have been) we could still have a very merry March.

 

[mauconnfan]

We were outrebounded by a team that ranks 228 in the country in rebounding yesterday, this year we rank as the 134th best rebounding team. That’s a fairly unacceptable stat for a team with title aspirations.

Our starting center averages less rebounds a game than our PG, and our 2G averages close to half as many rebounds as our PG.

The 2G spot is the one place I have the most frustration as Solo has no ability to fill in the blanks. Solo averaging 1.9 rebounds/game and 1.2/assists per game in this system in almost 28 minutes is underwhelming, alongside the defensive liability. When he has 0-5 nights from 3 like he has yesterday I’m not sure what his value is on the court as he had a typical 1 rebound no assist day. He’s a talented kid with a lack of grit & intuition and feels like a player that would have been better suited off the bench in an instant offense role this year than starter.

We need to get better at that spot, I’m just not sure how we do it. I really like what we are in the other 4 spots. I’d say commit to Solo and keep developing but I’m not sure it’s going to happen this season. Him being the worst passer on the team in a system that thrives on sharing the ball is perplexing. To put in perceptive, Ross, Stew and AM all have higher assists per game.

26 minutes from our 2G and one rebound is unacceptable. I mean we know he needs to improve his defense and he’s allowed to not shoot it well on occasion because he’s been mostly good there. But please stick your nose in a bit more!

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Granted all of them are talented, it's the level of talent. Every one of last year's three other than Diarra are better than every one of this year's three other than Diarra.

The lottery pick, the first team all-american, and the single best one year player in UConn history who's now in the NBA? Way to go out on a limb.

 

[storrsroars]

The lottery pick, the first team all-american, and the single best one year player in UConn history who's now in the NBA? Way to go out on a limb.

I think most of the BY felt the 22-23 NC team was a near-perfect assemblage of pieces. Until the 23-24 team came along.

If we had Spencer in 23 and then Joey C in 24, I'm pretty sure we'd all consider that a significant downgrade.

So, with that happening this year at 2G, backup Gs, and backup Fs, don't you think that the "everything will be fine" outlook has a rose-tinted color to it?

 

[Waquoit]

These team has spurts where it plays tremendous basketball. They started Butler like a house on fire and there was nothing Butler could do about it. They have had stretches like that all year. But instead of holding or expanding the lead, they slip back to the level of their opponents.

I'm not sure that's a good example. They got the big lead by shooting an unsustainable 11-14 to start (assuming I counted correctly). One can't expect the team to expand the lead from there.

 

[superjohn]

I think most of the BY felt the 22-23 NC team was a near-perfect assemblage of pieces. Until the 23-24 team came along.

If we had Spencer in 23 and then Joey C in 24, I'm pretty sure we'd all consider that a significant downgrade.

So, with that happening this year at 2G, backup Gs, and backup Fs, don't you think that the "everything will be fine" outlook has a rose-tinted color to it?

Did you expect UConn to have the best college basketball team of all-time this season?

Wait, our backup forwards are worse this year than last? It's the same guys with another player added into the mix.

 

[storrsroars]

Wait, our backup forwards are worse this year than last? It's the same guys with another player added into the mix.

Are you happy with their progress or did you expect more from them at this point?

I expected them to be significantly improved from last year, yet while both have shown flashes of being good, they've shown more flashes of being lost, or not involved as much as the system calls for.

The point of my comments is not that I was expecting the best team of all time. It's that the sum of the current parts as playing, and being played, to me, doesn't look like a FF team. I hope it gets better, especially from the sophs, all three of whom I expected to really play better on both ends. I do like Samson's progress, Reed just got here and already seems to get Dan Hurley better than the sophs, Hass has exceeded all expectations, AK is AK, and Liam is phenomenal. There's simply a significant fall off when the starters leave, except at the 5.

 

[Waquoit]

I expected them to be significantly improved from last year, yet while both have shown flashes of being good, they've shown more flashes of being lost, or not involved as much as the system calls for.

They are significantly improved from last year. Especially Ross. After the last two years, you still don't believe in the learning curve?

 

[storrsroars]

They are significantly improved from last year. Especially Ross. After the last two years, you still don't believe in the learning curve?

I believe In the learning curve. But I'm not seeing an AP class.

Good time to remind folks that when Ajax was being dumped on here, I always believed in him. Not feeling the same this year.

 

[RuffRuff]

I believe In the learning curve. But I'm not seeing an AP class.

Good time to remind folks that when Ajax was being dumped on here, I always believed in him. Not feeling the same this year.

I do see what you’re saying. Many of the things a kid like Solo is missing out on (rebounding, passing, defense) is based on effort and awareness, less about skill. No one is expecting him to be Michael Jordan, just do the basic things adequately. I know I’m not asking a lot - give me 3-4 boards/game and 3-4 assists as a starter. Make some stops. 1.9 and 1.2 are numbers you can get by barely trying. This UConn team is 4th in the country in assists per game at 20. How is one of our starting guards averaging 1 a game, especially as a non primary scorer?

There was never a question of effort with Ajax, it was more about harnessing.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I’m personally uninterested in fluffing the stats here by including our games against the sisters of the poor, so sorry if that bothers you.

In our last 5 games, Solo has shot 37% from the field, and 34% from 3. He obviously needs to be better moving forward if he’s not gonna improve as a playmaker or defender. His role on the team is efficient scoring, we’ve won despite him not playing up to his standard.

Personally, I think it’d be dumb to suggest he’s not talented. His development might take more time than we anticipated based on off season hype, but he’ll get to a point where he’s consistently getting buckets every game.

 

[Icehawk]

what do you drink?

The Kool-Aid, you should join us.

Did you guys see AK’s D? Strong game by him. Good win IMO all things considered.

 

[navery12]

I’m personally uninterested in fluffing the stats here by including our games against the sisters of the poor, so sorry if that bothers you.

In our last 5 games, Solo has shot 37% from the field, and 34% from 3. He obviously needs to be better moving forward if he’s not gonna improve as a playmaker or defender. His role on the team is efficient scoring, we’ve won despite him not playing up to his standard.

Personally, I think it’d be dumb to suggest he’s not talented. His development might take more time than we anticipated based on off season hype, but he’ll get to a point where he’s consistently getting buckets every game.

That's fine, but you don't get to just pick and choose which big games count. If you ignore the cupcakes like you suggest his season numbers go from 12.5 points to 12.1 points and 41% from 3 to 38% from 3. It's just not factual to suggest he's been padding his stats against the cupcakes

 

[storrsroars]

I do see what you’re saying. Many of the things a kid like Solo is missing out on (rebounding, passing, defense) is based on effort and awareness, less about skill. No one is expecting him to be Michael Jordan, just do the basic things adequately. I know I’m not asking a lot - give me 3-4 boards/game and 3-4 assists as a starter. Make some stops. 1.9 and 1.2 are numbers you can get by barely trying. This UConn team is 4th in the country in assists per game at 20. How is one of our starting guards averaging 1 a game, especially as a non primary scorer?

There was never a question of effort with Ajax, it was more about harnessing.

I usually consider myself pretty good with getting my ideas across, but you just did it much more eloquently and precisely than I've managed on this point thus far. I don't know how anyone argues with this. Hopefully it gets better. Quickly

 

[navery12]

I do see what you’re saying. Many of the things a kid like Solo is missing out on (rebounding, passing, defense) is based on effort and awareness, less about skill. No one is expecting him to be Michael Jordan, just do the basic things adequately. I know I’m not asking a lot - give me 3-4 boards/game and 3-4 assists as a starter. Make some stops. 1.9 and 1.2 are numbers you can get by barely trying. This UConn team is 4th in the country in assists per game at 20. How is one of our starting guards averaging 1 a game, especially as a non primary scorer?

There was never a question of effort with Ajax, it was more about harnessing.

Because what he's being asked to do is be a spot up shooter and attack the basket, neither of which lead to assists. When he's on the court it's usually with Diarra, McNeeley, Karaban, all who are being asked to be the playmakers

 

[RuffRuff]

Because what he's being asked to do is be a spot up shooter and attack the basket, neither of which lead to assists. When he's on the court it's usually with Diarra, McNeeley, Karaban, all who are being asked to be the playmakers

Who knew when we recruited Solo, who was pegged as being an mega athletic kid, that we would turn him into a spot up 3 point shooter. I get it that he’s in essence playing the Hawk position, but his archetype coming into this season didn’t feel at all that profile.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Who knew when we recruited Solo, who was pegged as being an mega athletic kid, that we would turn him into a spot up 3 point shooter. I get it that he’s in essence playing the Hawk position, but his archetype coming into this season didn’t feel at all that profile.

I love that he turned into the three point gut he's become but I want him to slash to the net at least at a level that he was capable of last year.

 

[KingAG]

I’m personally uninterested in fluffing the stats here by including our games against the sisters of the poor, so sorry if that bothers you.

In our last 5 games, Solo has shot 37% from the field, and 34% from 3. He obviously needs to be better moving forward if he’s not gonna improve as a playmaker or defender. His role on the team is efficient scoring, we’ve won despite him not playing up to his standard.

Personally, I think it’d be dumb to suggest he’s not talented. His development might take more time than we anticipated based on off season hype, but he’ll get to a point where he’s consistently getting buckets every game.

He’s streaky. But man is he clutch. He come through in the clutch multiple times this season

 

[Huskyforlife]

That's fine, but you don't get to just pick and choose which big games count. If you ignore the cupcakes like you suggest his season numbers go from 12.5 points to 12.1 points and 41% from 3 to 38% from 3. It's just not factual to suggest he's been padding his stats against the cupcakes

The broader point I was making was his production is sinking recently, and he's marginally improving at best in the other areas. We're winning despite this, which is great considering I think we need his scoring to keep up for us to reach our ceiling. I'm nowhere close to calling someone else up in his spot, but ignoring his recent slump, when it coincidently lines up with the hardest part of our schedule, seems foolish with 18 tough games to go.